3-D mammograms may be better at finding cancer than regular scans, a large study suggests, although whether that means saving more lives isn't known. The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association involved almost half a million breast scans, with more than one-third of them using relatively new 3-D imaging along with conventional scans. The rest used regular mammograms alone.

A FEW MONTHS AGO WE WERE THE FIRST TO EXCLUSIVELY SHOW YOU THE 3-D BREAST IMAGING HAPPENING RIGHT HERE IN PITTSBURGH. IN THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION IS RELEASING A REPORT CONFIRMING WHAT DOCTORS TOLD PITTSBURGH'S ACTION NEWS 4 ANCHOR MICHELLE WRIGHT. 3-D MAMMOGRAMS FOUND MORE CANCER AND CUT DOWN ON WOMEN CALLED BACK FOR ADDITIONAL TESTING. HERE'S MICHELLE WITH THE UPDATE. Reporter: IN MARCH, WE MET CAROL FROM DORMONT. SHE HAD THE OPTION OF THE NEW 3-D TECHNOLOGY, SHE GLADLY PAID THE EXTRA $50 TO TRY IT BECAUSE BREAST CANCER RUNS IN HER FAMILY. AN ABNORMAL AREA THAT SHOWS SOME PUCK ERG, AND THAT'S WHERE THERE'S AN ABNORMALITY. Reporter: THAT TURNED OUT TO BE CANCER. DR. THOMAS CHANG SAID THIS CANCER WAS NOT DETECTED ON CAROL'S REGULAR MAMMOGRAM. AND SO WHEN I TURNED ON THE 3-D ON THIS PARTICULAR CASE, I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY HOW MUCH IT SHOWED. Reporter: NOW NEW RESEARCH ECHOES WHAT DR. CHANG TOLD ME THEN. RESEARCHERS AT ADVOCATE LUTHERAN GENERAL HOSPITAL STUDIED THE DATA FROM ABOUT A DOZEN BREAST IMAGING CENTERS. THE STUDY SHOWED 3-D IMAGING WAS WORTH IT. IT SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED THE FALSE POSITIVE CALLBACKS FROM THE SCREENING EXAMS, SO A LOT OF THE PEOPLE DIDN'T HAVE TO COME BACK FOR ADDITIONAL IMAGING. IT INCREASED THEIR CANCER DETECTION RATE, IN WHATEVER THEY DID FIND AS ABNORMALITY, TURNED OUT TO BE A CANCER AND NOT A FALSE POSITIVE. Reporter: RESEARCHERS SAY THE SUCCESS OF MAMMOGRAPHY SCREENING FINDS SMALL CANCERS BEFORE THEY SPREAD. DR. CHANG BELIEVES A REGULAR MAMMOGRAM WOULD HAVE EVENTUALLY SPOTTED CAROL'S CANCER, BUT IT MAY HAVE BEEN A YEAR OR MORE. THE 3-D IMAGE FOUND DID BY THE ABILITY TO LOOK AT THE TISSUE LAYER BY LAYER. NUMBER ONE, GET THEM, AND NUMBER TWO, MAKE SURE YOU DO THE 3-D IMAGING. YOU THINK IT MADE A DIFFERENCE? ABSOLUTELY. DO YOU THINK IT SAVED YOUR LIFE? I THINK IT ABSOLUTELY DID. ACTUALLY, RIGHT IN HERE IS WHERE THERE'S A CANCER, BECAUSE THIS IS PUCKERED TISSUE. WHAT CAN YOU SEE WHEN YOU GO BACK TO THE REGULAR MAMMOGRAM? WHEN WE GO BACK TO THE REGULAR MAMMOGRAM, THIS IS THE AREA WHERE THE CANCER IS. BUT IT'S REALLY HIDDEN BY THE TISSUE THAT'S OVERLYING IT, ABOVE AND BELOW IT. Reporter: THERE ARE SOME DOWN SIDES TO CONSIDER. THE 3-D MAMMOGRAM DOES EMIT SLIGHTLY MORE RADIATION THAN REGULAR MAMMOGRAMS, ALTHOUGH WELL WITHIN FDA GUIDELINES. ALSO, RIGHT NOW THERE IS OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSE. AND FEW PLACES OFFER IT NOW. BUT WITH THIS NEW STUDY, THAT